Obradovich: Branstad gives few details on long-term plans

Jan. 31, 2014

Written by

Kathie Obradovich

Gov. Terry Branstad likes to plan a long way in advance, but his crystal ball gets very hazy when he’s asked about his agenda if he is re-elected in November.

Branstad had a lot of predictions Friday during an interview on Iowa Public Television. He said he expects to win the 2014 election, and he’ll announce his proposal for paying for schools when he presents his legislative agenda to the 2015 Legislature. He’ll present another two-year budget, he said. He also puts together budget projections for five years into the future.

Branstad even has offered his opinion about who the next governor should be — after himself, of course. Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds “is next in line to be governor,” he said during taping of the “Iowa Press” program. That goes beyond even what he’s said in the past about grooming Reynolds, a former state senator and county treasurer, to succeed him.

He’s not intending to step aside and let Reynolds take over the job early, he says. That may (or may not) lay to rest mutterings from critics within the Republican Party who are afraid Branstad might give his second-in-command a chance to run as an incumbent.

Here’s what Branstad said Friday: “It’s my intention to serve the entire term as governor. But (in) life, you have to take one day at a time and you try to do the very best you can.”

I haven’t heard him rule out trying for a seventh term, by the way. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Branstad seems to have expectations that extend far beyond November 2014. He was strangely reticent, however, to offer even a hint of what he has left to accomplish that would require another four years in office.

When I asked him about his vision for the next four years, Branstad said he’s focused on the next three months. “First of all, I have spelled out my vision in the Condition of the State address of what I want to accomplish this session. So I’ve got to put first things first. We want to accomplish that,” he said.

Branstad’s game plan for the legislative session, as I’ve said before, represents a pragmatic, bite-sized estimation of what can be digested by a divided Legislature without a lot of strenuous chewing. It’s not a reason for voters to give him another term.

Despite Branstad’s current popularity, evidenced by approval ratings above the mid-50s in various polls, voters still need a reason to keep him around. The Register’s Iowa Poll in September showed 55 percent of Iowans thought he had been in office long enough, with 35 percent saying he should seek another term.

It is early yet, granted. But state Sen. Jack Hatch, the governor’s best-established Democratic opponent, started late last year to roll out detailed proposals for tax reform, economic development and other issues. He criticized Branstad’s 2014 agenda as “timid” and a sign the Republican had been in office too long.

Branstad has offered hints of bolder ideas. He’s indicated he’d like to let taxpayers choose between the existing state income tax and a flatter tax that swaps lower rates for fewer deductions. Eventually, he has said, Iowa could do away with the income tax, as South Dakota and a few other states have done.

But on Friday, all he’d say was wait and see. “I was elected to do this job, and I’m going to focus on doing this job and doing it well,” he said. “Then, when the legislative session is completed, I will lay out specifics and my vision for the future and the specific goals and ideas. … I think if you look at my history you’ll see that, first of all, hard work, jobs, improving education, making Iowa the healthiest state in the nation, those will continue to be important priorities.”

All of that sounds like a governor who’s pretty comfortable with his prospects and who doesn’t want to risk shaking up independent and moderate voters with an edgy, partisan agenda.

There is wisdom in trying to keep the spotlight on the goals of the 2014 legislative session and not confusing those with a campaign agenda. But the campaign is already underway, and most Iowans can walk and chew gum at the same time.